SPORTS OF THE TIMES; Everybody Celebrates The Next One

EVERYBODY has been making a fuss over the natural, mechanical and pharmaceutical wonder of Mark McGwire's ever-thickening forearms.

They are looking in the wrong place, according to the man who managed him in Oakland and now here on McGwire's incessant home-run rampage.

''You see the power emanating from his mind,'' said Tony La Russa, a law-school graduate who is entitled to use four-syllable words. ''I can see it rippling, in fact. I don't look at his biceps; I look at his mind. It's just going.''

With history ahead of him and Sammy Sosa right on his back, McGwire and his rippling mind and muscles went back to work last night, but with flash cameras flickering, he failed to hit his 60th home run, flying out, striking out, walking and striking out in a 3-2 loss to Cincinnati.

The effervescent Senor Sosa had already sent out his 57th homer in Pittsburgh, a little reminder that he is not going away, and that the home run race may not be decided until the final Sunday, 22 days from now.

McGwire's next home will tie the old record of Babe Ruth, still the greatest slugger of all. The 61st homer would tie the baseball record set by the vastly undervalued Roger Maris in 1961. And the third home run would make at least two people rich -- McGwire and whoever caught the ball (or the next of kin).

McGwire skipped a pre-game news conference that had been organized by Major League Baseball. The word was that he needed time to prepare for the game in his own way. So far, that approach has served him well this year.

''He had a great spring training, a great April, a great May, a great June, a great July,'' La Russa said with what actually sounded like awe.

The rest of the baseball-loving world has become enchanted with the mano a mano being staged by these two sluggers. Even their opponents can admit to a bit of a thrill when McGwire or Sosa hits one out.

La Russa, however, must control his reaction as judiciously as a man with legal training can do. There are times when La Russa has not been able to celebrate one of McGwire's moon shots.

''Dunc and I were talking about this in spring training,'' LaRussa said, referring to his longtime pitching coach, Dave Duncan. ''We said we just hope we can enjoy this.''

Coming into this season, McGwire had a better chance of passing Ruth and Maris than the Cardinals did of winning the World Series. Nobody thought they were a powerhouse, which raised the question:

Tell me, Miss Manners, what does a manager do when his big boy blasts one halfway to the Cahokia Indian Mounds, but the Cardinals are trailing, 10-2? Does he jump up (and possibly skull himself on the concrete dugout roof?) and scream and shout? Or does he glower and mutter, ''Way to go?''

''It's a shame we don't have a winning record,'' La Russa said.

The Cardinals have now won 67 and lost 73, but their record is 27-22 when McGwire homered, so La Russa and his players have been able to smile after the majority of games.

''With no disrespect to any of them, this is just thrilling,'' La Russa said.

La Russa watched Sosa run out and mix viscerally with the fans after games and suggested McGwire do the same, but he knew it was not McGwire's style. However, La Russa passes on the word that McGwire loves and respects Sosa.

''It helps Player A if Player B and Player C are having great years,'' La Russa said.

LaRussa and McGwire go back to 1986, and were reunited last August. ''He was set up to fail,'' La Russa said, meaning the expectations were so high that some players might slip back a level. But McGwire is still growing in body and mind at 34, passing Johnny Mize as the oldest player ever to hit 50 or more home runs in one season.

''Never underestimate how difficult this is,'' La Russa said, adding, ''I feel we've all been privileged. We see it. I'll admit it. I get goose pimples.''

Sometimes he has had to pretend his skin was not quivering from pride and respect. On the next three homers, Miss Manners would surely say, it is cool to exult, no matter what the score.